Police say the sisters hid in a bedroom and called police from a cellphone as a man entered their home.NJ.com file photo

EAST BRUNSWICK – Two teenagers ran to an upstairs bedroom and called police after a 34-year-old stranger knocked on their door, then broke into their home, authorities said Wednesday.

Police were called to the home on Old Stage Road about 12:35 p.m. on Monday, according to a report.

A 15-year-old girl and her 13-year-old sister were home alone when a man began knocking on their door.

“Not knowing the individual, the girls did not answer the door and ran upstairs to their bedroom,” police said in a report.

“They then heard him in their kitchen and called 911 via their cell phone,” police said.

Officers arrived but found all the doors locked. They forced their way in and found the suspect hiding in a closet on the first floor.

“He refused the officers' orders and was sprayed with pepper spray,” the report states.

After being sprayed, he complied with the officers’ orders and was taken into custody.

Joseph Sicola, 34, of Spotswood was charged with burglary and resisting arrest.

He was taken to the Middlesex County Adult Correction Center in lieu of $50,000.00 bail.

In Oct. 2012, Sicola was arrested in Spotswood and charged with burglary, criminal mischief and theft in connection with a series of Laundromat burglaries occurring over an 11-month period, according to a police report. He was also charged at the time with possession of heroin, possession of a hypodermic needle, possession of paraphernalia and being under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance, the report states.